Benjamin Pommeraud, general manager of Riot Games Singapore and Malaysia

League of Legends (LoL) studios, Riot Games has made a mark in Malaysia’s eSports industry by launching their Student Ambassador Program, a new initiative targeted at university and college students with a passion for gaming. It’s a program designed to help participants develop transferable career critical skills beyond just eSports itself, which coincides with the objectives of the Garena Student Alliance (GSA). With that said, Riot intends to collaborate with Garena, who is also the regional publisher for LoL.

According to general manager of Riot Games Singapore and Malaysia, Benjamin Pommeraud, what Garena is currently doing with GSA is similar to their Student Ambassador Program, and they are looking forward to extending their collaborations beyond publishing LoL. “Both of the programs are about educating students on the important aspects of eSports, and they are certainly compatible with each other,” said Pommeraud. “This opens the opportunity for our ambassadors to work hand in hand with the eSports clubs under GSA.”

In case you are unaware of Riot’s intentions in starting the Student Ambassador Program, they hope to develop critical skills in participants to jump-start their future career, regardless of their chosen discipline. Student ambassadors are expected to lead campaigns and initiatives that will build their leadership, critical thinking, communication, collaboration, events management and budgeting skills.

“The video game industry is innovative and competitive. We know the importance of studying hard to perform in today’s world. It is part of Riot’s culture to propel innovation, nurture talent and to create a positive perception of the gaming industry. This is what we are willing to do with our ambassador program,” said Pommeraud. Participants will receive certificates, testimonials, and partial scholarships, while top ambassadors will get an all-expense paid trip to watch the League of Legends World Championship next year.

It is commendable of Riot to build the local eSports community from the grassroots level, which is even more impressive as they seek out collaborations to boost their efforts. The current batch of the Student Ambassador Program runs from April 2017 until March 2018, with 28 participating students from 28 tertiary education institutions throughout Malaysia. You can find out more about the program on Riot’s official site.

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